A bipartisan congressional bill seeking a feasibility study to designate the 288-mile Benton MacKaye Trail in the Southern Appalachians a national scenic trail has passed the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Its passage is a long stride in the effort to get the national scenic trail designation for the trail since the legislation was first introduced in 2021 by U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Ooltewah.
Benton MacKaye Trail Association President Bob Cowdrick praised the bill’s sponsors, Fleischmann and U.S. House Reps. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, Lucy McBath, D-Atlanta, and Chuck Edwards, R-N.C.
“We are grateful for the leadership from Reps. Fleischmann, Cohen, Edwards and McBath for advancing legislation to protect the Benton MacKaye Trail and set it on the path to becoming our country’s 12th national scenic trail,” Cowdrick said in an emailed statement. “The Senate will now need to approve the amended version of the bill.”
The bill was amended Wednesday to require the feasibility study to be completed within two years after the act is signed into law. The association is listed in the bill as one of the study’s consultants.